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Virtual Museum of Canada

Galerie de l'UQAM

Making History

This image taken from the film shows a landscape tilted at a 145-degree angle. The horizon and a bit of clear sky are compressed into the bottom left corner. The rocky ground occupies most of the image.

$This watercolour pictures a carved eagle in profile on top of a totem pole. The blue sky behind the bird is fractured into flat geometric shapes. A few equally schematized trees appear at the lower right.$

The title “Refus global” is handwritten vertically in red ink on the title page of a book pamphlet. It is visible between the half-open flaps of the cardboard cover, which are decorated with non-figurative motifs in black and white.

In the foreground of this painting, three dead trees stand erect in front of brownish rocky masses. Beyond, the horizon line separates the blue sky layered in white and grey clouds from the smooth surface of the darker blue lake.

A large white backward-Z-shaped polygon zig-zags across the painting from lower left to upper right. The other two corners are occupied by black geometric shapes, a vertical rectangle and an unequal-sided quadrilateral. The arrangement of the masses and lines creates a balanced composition.

This black-and-white print shows a shore where a canoe is drawn up. Behind the canoe, a man stands looking into the distance. At the left, his companion crouches near a fire, smoking a pipe. Beyond him is a forest.

Two men are shown side by side. The one on the left is kneeling, with his right hand on his heart. The one on the right, wearing a blue cloak that hides his military uniform, is seated on a wooden bishop’s chair, looking down at the kneeling man.

This close-up painting depicts a forest floor of tangled rocks and tree trunks in the foreground. The composition is so close to abstraction that it is difficult to discern a landscape in the winding green lines and areas of flat black, grey and white.

A sculpture representing an Aboriginal family of four is installed in front of a neoclassical façade. A man stands at the centre, gazing into the distance. On the left, a woman with a child crouches at his side. On the right, a boy is about to loose an arrow from his bow.

This black and white photo shows the inside of a movie theatre where a film is projected. The close-up of a face appears on the screen.

This painting depicts a river whose waters reflect a golden-yellow and orange sky. The snow along the riverbanks is tinged with mauve and blue. In the distance, hazy buildings are visible on a snow-covered hill.

This photograph shows a bed with a pile of blankets, a cast figure of a dog and an army helmet. At the foot of the bed are shelves stocked with non-perishable items. The walls are lined with fiberglass insulation.

This genre scene represents a traditional French-Canadian house flanked by a blacksmith’s shop. On the left, horse-drawn sleighs are arriving. Another is stopped in front of the house. A man is leading his horse into the forge, and several people are hurrying toward the house.

This painting shows many women outlines in conversation seated on chairs. Their tangled bodies are made up of various facets defined by small lines of yellow, pink, red, orange, blue, green, purple and black.

This poster shows two men standing side by side. The one on the left is costumed as a giant peanut wearing a top hat. The one on the right is dressed in black, with his arms raised as if greeting a crowd.

This photo shows tourists walking in front of a large mural of stylized animals painted diagonally on a trapezoidal wooden wall. A serpent surges above a wolf, a killer whale and a spread-winged eagle gripping its prey.

In the foreground, a scraggy evergreen rises up in silhouette, slightly to the right of centre. In the receding grounds, a lake and mountains executed in broad, flat brushstrokes appear in twilight. The vast sky is tinted in shades of blue, orange and green.

This photograph shows a dress made of slabs of raw beef stitched together hangs on a woman.

Dans cette photographie en noir et blanc, une danseuse vêtue d’une robe sans manches exécute une chorégraphie au bord d’une rivière, pieds nus dans le sable. Ses jambes sont écartées et ses bras soulevés de manière à former un « X ».

A woman in a tank top and shorts is sitting on the bank of a lake or river, facing forward. She is surrounded by violet and bluish rocks. Her knees are spread apart and her feet are crossed. A small plant is growing near her feet.

This painting presents four forms on a white background. A large brown mass and a smaller yellow one occupy the upper half of the canvas, while two bands, one blue and one red, zigzag across the lower half.

This painting depicts coloured prisms whose strong diagonal lines create an impression of movement and depth. Three pyramids in shades of red and orange appear at the lower right of the image.

Bordered by green pastures, a sand-coloured road stretches toward a black hill rising on the horizon. Three cows trudge along under a sky darkened by a looming storm.

This monumental oil is composed of three vertical panels set side by side. Small patches of red, burgundy, white, yellow and blue fill the canvas to form a large mosaic of colours.

This non-figurative painting features areas of flat black, brown and white. The dark masses concentrated in the lower portion stand out from the textured white surface. A small black patch appears near the top.

Six black-and-white portraits of a smiling long-haired woman are arranged in two rows. The first one remains untouched, while the others are progressively coloured with makeup: foundation, then eye shadow, blusher, eyebrow pencil and lipstick. The final face, at lower right, is completely made up.

This larger-than-life-size portrait represents a nude woman in a standing pose with hips slightly tilted. The model is wearing makeup and green sandals. Her head and bust mask a portrait set on an easel behind her.

Tall trees rise in a winter landscape. The light mottles the snow with bluish and yellowish highlights. Seen from a distance, a man with a whip is urging on a draft animal pulling a load of logs.

This painting shows a landscape with rocky ground. At the centre of the composition, tall green pines soar against a deep blue sky scattered with white clouds.

Captured from the riverbank, this landscape shows a luminous sunrise through a morning mist on the Saguenay fjord. Two ships are discernible in the distance, and small boats float at the foot of steep cliffs in the left half of the composition.

At the left of the painting, two women are strolling along the waterfront in Venice. They are next to an awning-covered terrace, beyond which a sailboat and a gondola are visible on the lagoon.

This abstract painting shows rectangular blocks of different sizes assembled together. The large forms are painted in dark, predominantly blue-green tones, while the small ones create a contrast in lighter shades of orange and pink.

This oil on canvas presents a spring landscape under a light blue sky. The centre of the picture is occupied by a dirt road lined with green- and yellow-leaved trees whose sinuous shadows streak the path.

A mirror reflects the face of a man with his back to the viewer. Hand raised and lips parted, he is making up his right eye. Next to him, a television shows footage of a highway shot from a moving car.

In the foreground of this painting, a woman on a ferryboat is looking straight toward the viewer through binoculars. A man is seated behind her on a bench. In the background, we see a large lifeboat, calm water and the cloud-studded sky.

This brightly coloured painting shows a man attired in Native and European garments and ornaments. He is represented half-length and looks directly at the viewer. Behind him are a forest of evergreens and mountains.

In the foreground, a peaceful river is bordered by trees in autumn colours. Four figures in groups of two appear on the right bank. In the background, mountains with rounded peaks fill the horizon beneath a cloudy sky.

A black-and-white photograph shows a plywood façade seen from an angle. The structure is supported from behind by scaffolding. Cars are driving by in the foreground while skyscrapers appear in the background.

This rectangular textile work is made of pieces of fabric stitched together like a quilt. Against the checkered background, brightly coloured letters spell out the words “Reason over passion.”